C13 The Old Came

Ye Feng had initially wanted to look up and argue, but the sight of the old man's eyes, filled with concern, changed his mind. His words of contention softened into reassurance.

"There's no need to worry. See? I'm perfectly fine."

"But you're only fine because you were lucky. Had you encountered the Forest Lord, whether you'd make it out would be another matter entirely."

Noticing the old man's anxious and fearful look, Ye Feng chose not to mention his encounter with the Forest Lord, sparing the old man further stress.

After a moment of thought, Ye Feng asked, "Senior Brother, did you venture into the core area just to look for me?"

It seemed that only the formidable Forest Lord could have left the old man in such a state.

The old man shot Ye Feng an irritated glance and retorted, "What do you think? Would I have entered the core area so recklessly if I weren't concerned about you, you little rascal?"

"Senior Brother, it's one thing to speak your mind, but it's not right to insult someone." Ye Feng was moved by the old man's weary face and began to appreciate having him as a senior brother.

As the old man seemed poised to continue his lecture, Ye Feng quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Senior Brother, after your long journey and the fierce battle, you must be hungry. I've just prepared dinner. Let's eat together."

The mention of food slightly improved the old man's mood, although he couldn't resist giving Ye Feng another lesson.

Only when Ye Feng served the meal did the old man finally fall silent.

Tasting the soup, the old man felt an unexpected warmth coursing through his body. He looked up, surprised, and asked, "This soup tastes different from the usual. What did you use to make it?"

"Immortal Spirit Grass and Fire Cloud Bird," Ye Feng answered nonchalantly.

Hearing this, the old man's chopsticks clattered to the table as he quickly grabbed Ye Feng's hand, stopping him from drinking the soup.

"What's the matter?" Ye Fann asked, puzzled by the old man's sudden urgency.

"You can't drink this soup," the old man stated gravely.

"Why not? Do you want the extra bowl for yourself?" Ye Feng inquired, confused.

The old man simply rolled his eyes in response.

"Do you really think I'm that frail?" The old man spoke with a mix of frustration and disappointment as he caught Ye Feng's puzzled gaze. "This concoction is a blend of Rank Five Immortal Spirit Grass and a Rank Five Body Tempering Spirit Beast. The Spiritual Force within is immense; it's far beyond what you can handle at your current level. Go ahead and try it if you don't believe me, but if your meridians shatter, don't blame me."

Ye Feng, taking in the old man's earnest demeanor, quietly set the bowl back down. Chicken soup might be beneficial, but risking his life to taste it was certainly not worth it.

"Where are you off to?" inquired the old man, as Ye Feng abruptly stood up.

"I'm going to prepare some food. Since I can't have the chicken soup, I might as well make something more ordinary, right?" With that, the old man lifted his restriction.

Missing out on the soup didn't sour Ye Feng's mood, especially after receiving the soup's intended reward. However, when he finished making dinner and returned to the table, he discovered the old man had polished off the entire pot of chicken soup. Ye Feng scanned the area but found no sign of the old man, leaving him no choice but to reluctantly clean up and wash the dishes.

What Ye Feng hadn't anticipated was that from that night on, he would not catch a glimpse of the old man for an entire week, which naturally reignited his concern. Seven days had passed; surely the old man hadn't gone off to duel with the Forest Lord again?

"Ye Feng, are you there?" While Ye Feng was debating whether to search for the old man, a familiar voice reached him from outside.

Liu Ann?

In an instant, Ye Feng appeared before Liu Ann.

"Senior Brother Liu, what brings you here?"

"Junior Brother Ye, you need to find a place to hide. Elder Chen and his grandson are looking for you."

That's when Ye Feng remembered he had given Elder Chen's grandson a harsh lesson in the Wailing Forest.

"Hide? If he's bold enough to stir up trouble in our kitchen, then he deserves to witness our kitchen's might firsthand."

Considering their respective ranks, Elder Chen would have to address him as Martial Uncle. What was there to fear?

"Oh, Junior Brother Ye, please heed your senior brother's advice. There's no need to confront Elder Chen directly. Dodge his initial fury, and once you're an Inner Sect Disciple, you can settle the score with Elder Chen on your own terms."

"It's all good, Senior Brother Liu. Honestly, I'm not the least bit scared of Elder Chen."

"Such arrogance. I wonder if you'll still be this cocky after taking one of my moves." A weathered voice echoed as Elder Chen's figure slowly emerged on the mountain path in the distance.

"Damn, Junior Brother Ye, get inside quick! Hide behind that rock, I'll handle this."

"Can you even handle it?" Zhang Dashao, battered and bruised, came into Ye Feng's view.

"Senior Brother Zhang!" Ye Feng glared furiously at Elder Chen.

"Elder Chen, you won't get away with this. The Sect Master will not let this slide," Zhang Dashao said with fury.

Elder Chen just scoffed dismissively, "Everyone knows the Sect Master is deep in seclusion, leaving all affairs to the great elder and the rest. He won't have time for you. By the time he emerges, your wounds will have healed, and you'll have no grounds to complain."

Ye Feng smirked internally. So that was it. Elder Chen only dared to strike Zhang Dashao because he knew the Sect Master was indisposed.

Elder Chen looked down at Chef Zhang with disdain, "I'm only here to settle things with the young man. As long as you don't interfere, you'll remain Chef Zhang, and I'll continue to show you the respect due to the Sect Master's face."

"Forget it. Mr. Ye is now part of our kitchen crew, and no one outside our kitchen has the right to touch him," Zhang Dashao declared, wounded but undeterred in his defense of Ye Feng.

"Fine, very well then. It looks like I'll have to teach your kitchen a lesson today, to remind you of your place."

"Go ahead and try," Zhang Dashao said, struggling to rise from the ground.

Ye Feng stepped forward, confronting Elder Chen directly, "That's enough. I'm the one responsible here. If you have a problem, take it up with me, but leave my senior brothers out of it."

"Well, well. If it weren't for you laying a hand on my grandson, I might have even commended you. Too bad, the moment you did, you sealed your fate," Elder Chen said, lifting his hand to strike.

"Wait!" A deep, resonant voice called out, capturing the crowd's astonished gaze as a majestic blue and white phoenix gracefully descended from the heavens.